Details have emerged why Secretary of the Edo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Mr. Lawrence Okah was removed from office.
Okah was suspended last month at an emergency meeting of the State Executive Committee to allow the committee set up to investigate allegations against him from his local government.
He was eventually removed from office after a vote of no confidence was passed on him at a meeting of the State Executive Committee, on Tuesday, November 12, 2019.
Sources said the decision to remove Okah was reached after the Edo APC got wind of Okah’s plot to remove the state chairman, Barr. Anselm Ojezua.
Okah was said to have collated signatories of some executive members at his residence.
His plot was blown when Auditor of the Edo APC, Comrade Timothy Osadolor, returned the N1m he was given to sign the vote of no confidence notice on Barr. Ojezua.
Comrade Osadolor who distanced himself from the document purporting to remove Ojezua from office said they were taken in a commando style to the residence of Okah where they were forced to sign the document.
Giving details of the incident, the Auditor, explained that they were invited by a colleague for a meeting from where they were whisked to Okah’s residence.
Osadolor said he was threatened and asked to sign the document if he wanted to leave the residence alive.
He stated that he had to append a fake signature against his name to regain freedom.
According to him, “What happened, to the best of my knowledge, is an act of desperation taken too far. We were taken in a commando style to the house of the State Secretary, where I was forced to sign the documents purportedly removing.
Anslem Ojezua. There were just eight or nine signatures on the document. My name was badly spelt. I didn’t draw their attention to it but had to play along by signing the document with a fake signature.
The Financial Secretary, Princess Golda Oribhabor-Onwuka said she signed the document under duress.
Meanwhile, party chairmen in the 18 local government areas of the state have passed a vote of no confidence on the APC National Chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole.
The APC Chairman in Esan Central LGA and Secretary, Edo State APC Chairmen Forum, Hon. Mike Anakaso, said the chairmen passed a vote of no confidence on Oshiomhole for his role in trying to disintegrate the party in Edo State.
He said, “Comrade Adams Oshiomhole is the one behind the crisis in Edo APC and we have passed a vote of no confidence on him. We don’t want what happened in Zamfara or other parts of the country to happen in Edo State.”
Briefing newsmen after the meeting of the party’s State Executive Committee earlier, the Deputy State Chairman of the APC, Engr. Kenneth Asekomhe noted, “After the meeting of the State Executive Committee, in pursuant of Article 17, Section 5 of APC constitution of 2014, as amended, we the undersigned members passed a vote of no confidence on the State Secretary of the party, Mr. Lawrence Okah. He is hereby removed from office.”
“The committee also passed a vote of confidence on the State Chairman of APC, Mr Anselm Ojezua.”
The APC chairmen in the 18 LGAs of the state also reaffirmed their support for the second term bid of Governor Godwin Obaseki on account of his developmental strides.
In an earlier statement signed by the Assistant State Secretary, Mr. Ikuenobe Anthony Esq., the party had announced the decision to sack Okah.
Anthony said the decision was taken after a meeting of the State Executive Committee, on Tuesday, November 12, 2019, where a vote of no confidence was passed on Okah.
According to him, “The State Executive Committee of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has this morning, 12th of November, 2019, passed a vote of no confidence on the State Secretary, Mr. Lawrence Okah, in accordance with Article 17 (v) of the constitution of the party.
He noted: “The effect of this is that Mr. Lawrence Okah ceases to be the State Secretary of the party henceforth.
“An appropriate replacement will be effected in due course in accordance with Article 17 (vi) of the said constitution.”